This adorable young man is my great-nephew, Lucas. He looks a little like #54. As a matter of fact, I like to call him “little Url.” This picture was taken last evening,  just moments before game time.

Lucas will be raised correctly. A Bears fan. But with class.

The following is a picture of raising children incorrectly. Nevermind these tots are being raised as Favre fans or Vikings fans, for that matter. While I despise #4, I’ll never teach Lucas to be so vile. I’ll keep my anti-Favre comments to myself in front of the little man.

There’s a big difference in passing the torch of fan loyalty to your offspring and teaching your children to become those obnoxious, hateful fans in the stands you hope get tossed out (or want to punch out). Inwardly, I may wish Favre would just go away or the Packers never win another game. But I’ll never say this in front of the  little guy, his mind like a tiny sponge ready to soak in all we have to teach him.

My hope is Lucas will become a Bears fan because they were the team he grew up with. The team his father followed. His mother cheered. His great-aunt obsessed. He will be as familiar with the blue and orange as he is the sound of his grandmother’s voice.

And one day, should he despise the Green Bay Packers or a particular quarterback who wreaked havoc upon his beloved Bears, he’ll do so on his own. Because his own passion led him to such heavy dislike toward a longtime rival or nemesis. Not because his great-aunt taught him to kick an effigy of a Packer or Viking while tailgating.